Ryan Tannehill vs. Previous Miami Dolphins QBs in Their 2nd Season Running the Show

By Craig Ballard

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Tannehill is on the verge of his second season at the helm of the Miami Dolphins offense, and I wanted to provide a look at other recent ‘Phins quarterbacks and how they fared in season no.2.

Tanny had just a dozen touchdowns with 13 interceptions and just 3,294 passing yards. His 2013 should be significantly better than that. Dan Marino had the all-time best season in his second season as he went off for 5,000-plus yards and 48 TDs. We will not hold Tanny to that standard, but I think he should be better than Chad Henne and Jay Fiedler.

Henne followed a 12-touchdown 14-interception first season as a starter with a 15-touchdown and 19-pick 2010. He threw for just 3,301 yards and had a 6-8 record. I am sure we were all underwhelmed with the Henne era, and despite Tanny’s rookie numbers looking similar to Henne`s second season, I am sure we all have much higher aspirations for Tanny going forward.

Fiedler is an interesting comparison. He had a good first season at 10-5, but had just 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In 2001, he went 11-5 while tossing 20 touchdowns vs 19 interceptions. In his second season, the Dolphins won when Fiedler played well, and that is why it reminds me of Tanny.

In the 11 wins in 2001, Fiedler had 17 touchdowns and just nine interceptions, and he had a measly three touchdown passes with a whopping 10 interceptions in the five losses. Tanny was similar as a rookie as he had eight touchdown tosses with just one interception in wins, but just four touchdowns with a massive dozen interceptions in losses.

When these guys play well (do not turn the ball over), really good things happen for the ‘Phins.

Time will tell if Tanny can match Fielder’s 20 touchdowns in season no. 2, but with the new weapons on offense, we should see Tanny approach that number. What impresses me about the second-year QB is that he has watched game film of every throw he made in 2012, and he is a guy who is committed to improving his game.

New (likely better) players on offense plus Tanny’s work ethic should certainly equal less than 13 interceptions this season for the young man. We will all be watching Tannehill`s second season … closely.

Craig Ballard is a NFL/NBA/MLB writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @craigballard77, and you can find all of his articles HERE